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Is your child ready for school?
9th September 2011
Over 6,000 of Sheffield’s children will be starting school for the first time this week. Approximately 5,900 of these are up to date with their vaccinations – has your child had theirs?
Over the next few weeks parents and carers in the region will begin to receive their child’s school entry health screening information from the Sheffield School Nursing Service, which will ensure that all children are protected from contagious illnesses such as MMR and meningitis.
Richard Oliver, a lead GP at NHS Sheffield, said:
“Starting school is an exciting time and to make sure that your child has the best start to school life it is really important that they have received all of their recommended childhood vaccinations. This way, they will be protected from harmful, infectious and potentially life threatening illnesses including measles, mumps and meningitis.
“In Sheffield we are really pleased that so many parents and carers are recognising the importance of immunisations but if you have missed one, it’s never too late to get immunised as catch-up jabs can be arranged through your school nurse or GP practice.”
91.4% of Sheffield’s children are already vaccinated against MMR but for those who remain unprotected, infectious diseases such as measles can spread very easily through direct contact with an infected person or through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
If you are unsure if your child is up to date with their vaccinations or would like further information on the benefits of immunisations, speak to your GP or school nurse who will be happy to discuss these with you.
For further information on the MMR vaccination go to www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or call 0845 46 47.
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